Huge ratings for its Must-See-TV shows on Thursday night combined with equally high ratings for dramas The West Wing and Law & Order, paced NBC to its third victory over its rivals in as many weeks.
CBS’s hit reality series Survivor was bested by NBC’s Friends but nevertheless wound up in second place for the week.
ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, once the network’s cash cow, continued to plunge in the ratings. Reduced to two eisodes per week, Millionaire placed 41st for Monday’s show and 44th for Thursday’s. NBC averaged an 8.8 rating and a 14 share for the week.
CBS was second with an 8.6/14. ABC placed third with a 6.7/11. Fox trailed with a 5.3/9.
The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research:
1. Friends, NBC, 17.9/26; 2. The West Wing, NBC, 15.3/23; 3. E.R. NBC, 14.4/23; 3. Law and Order, NBC, 14.4/24; 5. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS, 14.1/21; 6. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 13.8/21; 7. Survivor: Africa, CBS, 13.2/19; 8. Will & Grace, NBC, 12.4/18; 9. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC, 11.7/20; 10. Becker, CBS, 11.6/17.
